Well, another year has come and gone and in some ways it felt the same (pandemic much?) while in others it felt wholly new (yay Steam Deck!). Let’s just kick this yearly tradition off, shall we?
Persona 5 Royal
Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Steam
Ok, so this first entry is admittedly a bit of a cheat, especially considering I beat it last year the night before the excellent sequel that I reviewed, Persona 5 Strikers, dropped. I’m going to use the fact that this gem broke free from PlayStation Prison as my excuse to add it to my list. I highly suggest to the point of demanding everyone at least try Persona 5 Royal—especially if you have Xbox Game Pass where it’s included for free as part of the service. The fifth entry in the Persona series—which was spun off from the also excellent Shin Megami Tensi series—is one of my top five favorite games ever. I’m absolutely thrilled I can now jump into this across PC and my Deck. There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said about Persona 5 Royal. The latest entry is unlike any other game I’ve ever played. The menus pop with their bright comic book aesthetic and the soundtrack has a punchy jazzy sound to it which I literally listen to every day while I’m working. I love everything about Persona 5 from the story to the characters. So much so, in fact, that I immediately purchased it again when it released at midnight on Steam and am almost finished my second play through.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Available on: Switch
It’s also no secret that another favorite series of mine is Xenoblade Chronicles and I owe it all to the fact that I went back and gave Xenoblade Chronicles 2 another shot after I initially dismissed it. I’ve played and completed ever title except for Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U and, while I like and appreciate the original, I’ve always held the unpopular opinion that the second proper game was my favorite of them all. That all changed with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a title that managed to not only one up everything that made the first two great, but set a new bar for the series. Noah, Mio, Lanz, Sena, Eunie, and Taion are all wonderful characters on their own, but the connection they build together feels authentic. I’m not going to dive into the combat system, but this is easily the best of the series by a long shot and goes hand in hand with the well designed pacing to create an end result which doesn’t require massive grinding to see the story to its conclusion. Monolith Soft seemed to step back and study what characteristics make the series so beloved, kick the fan-service-y anime boobs to the curb, and retool the third proper installment into the strongest title the series has to offer yet. The soundtrack is phenominal, the cutscenes have weight to them and with cinematic composition, the VO work is solid, the boss fights are epic, and the world is vast and alive. This is also the best of the series from a technical and visual standpoint, resulting in a game that both looks and plays fluidly when docked and in handheld mode. The two biggest crimes against this game are the official soundtrack hasn’t been made available for purchase or to stream and that you can only (officially) play it on Nintendo Switch. Make no mistake, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has cemented itself right next to Persona 5 in my top favorite games of all time.
Wylde Flowers
Available on: Switch, iOS (including Apple Arcade), Steam
Wylde Flowers is one of those little indie gems I knew nothing about until I stumbled upon it in a compilation video from a YouTube cozy games enthusiast (unfortunately I can’t remember which one). In Wylde Flowers you come back from the big city to help your grandmother with her farm. If you’re rolling your eyes at this clichéd premise for a farming sim game, I get it, but know this is where it ends and the developers at Studio Dryrock crafted a story and experience that is wholly unique for the genre. You see, without giving away any spoilers, the story and townsfolk hold many secrets revolving around witchcraft. I admittedly havne’t finished this game, but it made my list for a number of reasons. The first one being that I discovered it during a dark and emotional time for my wife and myself and we both got lost in the story and people from the small town of Fairhaven. She played it via Apple Arcade and I purchased and played it across my Steam Deck and gaming PC. I was taken back by the level and quality of the voiceover work as well as how invested I became in the story for a farming sim. The love and care that went into Wylde Flowers shines through in its presentation, gameplay, and the story it tells. Perhaps my favorite gameplay tweak to the farming sim genre is that you control when seasons change, which is great if you have a ton of crops that need just a LITTLE bit more time before you can harvest them. I definitely didn’t miss being held to a strict timeline. If you’re looking for a charming farming sim that offers a wholesome cozy experience while not feeling cookie cutter, then I strongly urge you to give Wylde Flowers a try.
Kynseed
Available on: Steam, GOG
If you haven’t noticed, I was really drawn to cozy farming games this year, and Kynseed easily made the list. I bought it at the beginning of the year while it was still an early access title on Steam and held off playing after a few hours in hopes that PixelCount Studios would make their 2022 launch window for the final game. As luck would have it, they hit their target and I’ve been loving what this game brings. Oh, you want a fantastical story with deep lore set in a lush and sprawling landscape full of secrets? This game has it. You want to farm and eventually run a shop? Sure, you can do that too. I would be lying, dear reader, if I told you I finished exploring everything the land of Quill has to offer—far from it. In Kynseed you aren’t just running a farm or making quick cash after you buy a shop, you’re setting up your future children and family for success. And that’s a good thing because your character will indeed die and you will take over as your child. I’m not sure how deep the rabbit hole of playing through my family’s lineage will take me, but that’s part of the fun. The writing is witty, the lore is deep, the characters are varied, the turn-based RPG battles are good enough, and there’s a lot of magic and mystery to discover. I’d expect nothing less from a studio comprised of a bunch of veterans who all worked on the Fable series. Did I just pique your interest with that little fact? Good. Now please go share my article, tell a friend how awesome Pixelrater is, go pick Kynseed up RIGHT NOW, and dive in for yourself.
Chained Echoes
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Steam
If you love retro the 16-bit etro RPGs of yore, then Chained Echoes might be right up your alley. It’s a love letter to old school RPGs while also avoiding all the typical mechanics from that era that tend to annoy me. For example, HP and MP replenish at the end of each battle and the gameplay and story are set up in such a way that there is no need for grinding. That’s not to say the game is shallow, there’s plenty of skills to unlock, loot to collect, and dungeons to explore. The story on offer in Chained Echoes is a good one and each character has varied backgrounds and personalities. Did I mention there’s also mechs? Because there are and you can switch freely during battle to take the battles to the sky. Definitely check it out if old JRPGs are your thing.
That’s a wrap! I also really enjoyed Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, but they just didn’t click with me for some reason. I didn’t finish either one, however, I’ll dive back into Elden Ring thanks to mods. I also liked Rune Factory 5 and Harvestella as well. What about you? What games really stuck with you in 2022?
